College Life: Accessories for Safe and Pleasurable sex

‘Sir, my boyfriend really wants to sleep with me. Should he wear condoms? He said, condoms are not necessary and I won’t get pregnant if I drink a spoonful of vinegar. Is this true? ’.

That woke me up. It was a second year medical student at the place I work. I tried to keep a straight face. How do you answer this? How often would a student approach a teacher with such a question? Still a little dazed, I tried to gather my thoughts and delve into a topic, considered taboo in most settings in our society.

‘No. A little vinegar wouldn’t stop you from getting pregnant. Why don’t you insist on your boyfriend using a condom instead?’, I said. There were a few giggles and then, she left.

Manipal is teenage country. The average age here would be in the early twenties, with the huge student population. It is then natural that there will be a lot of hormones involved and that usually means a lot of questions on what ‘Sex’ is all about. Running ManipalBlog, I’ve seen the searches that lead to the site showing terms such as , ‘Manipal sex life’, ‘Manipal videos’… you get the drift?

Often there are whispers and rumors about the procedures conducted anonymously and in secret to avoid unwanted pregnancies. Sometimes these come out in the open and create a sensation, But this article is not about that.

One of the most important personal decisions that you will ever make is whether or not to, and when to begin, having sexual intercourse. This blog post is about safe sexual intercourse practices that will prevent precisely those situations that may end up being embarrassing for you and your partner.

On campus, the pressure of fitting in or the feeling of being loved may add to the pressure of indulging in sexual activities that may not be ideal reasons. This may also lead to unsafe sexual practices.

Sex can lead to getting or giving a sexually transmitted infection (STI), or pregnancy. It’s important to protect yourself. Oral sex won’t cause pregnancy but it can spread STIs such as chlamydia. If a person has vaginal or anal sex, male and female condoms will stop the spread of most STIs but not others such as genital warts and herpes (which is why abstinence is the most effective way to prevent STIs). Most STIs are symptom-less … you may not know you have one until it causes major damage (e.g. Infertility, cancer, dementia, etc.). There are many different makes and types of condoms, if one condom does not suit someone, then advice is to try a different one. Let’s Be Real — You cannot tell someone is infected by “just looking”.

Having safer sex will protect your health and your partner’s health by preventing STIs and unplanned pregnancy. It is important to use condoms and water-based personal lubricants when having sex including oral sex. . Lubricant is a clear jelly type substance that can be put on the condom. Always choose the correct type of lubricant for indulging in sexual activities, incorrect lubricants like oils or Vaseline may break or split the condoms leading to unwanted effects. These may be in the form of semen leakage or the condom coming off and leading to condom failure and unwanted pregnancy!

One other commonly held misconception is that use of a condom can lead to impotence. This however is not true, there may be some problem with maintaining an erection due to reduced sensation, but this is easily rectified by using more lubrication.

Other ways to have safer sex include engaging in non-penetrative sex like kissing, stroking and mutual masturbation that do not put a person at risk of an STI or unplanned pregnancy. There are many types of sex toys that are available in the market which can be used to pleasure yourself or your partner without the risks of STIs or pregnancy. College humor already revolves around many of these like Dildos etc. But if you look at these seriously, then they do help in pleasuring as well as being safe at the same time. Vibrating rings are something new that can be used discreetly as well.

Ejaculation is a function of psychic and somatic impulses. Premature ejaculation indicates the gap between a persons expectations and his actual performance. For men who climax early and may have performance issues due to this, there are many products available that can increase pleasure and delay the climax. Among these are climax delay sprays that are a mixture of local anesthetics that dull the sensual pleasures. This will help in prolonging the sexual activity for the man, while at the same time ensuring that the female partner reaches her climax. This should offer better experience for both partners.

Most of these products should be available at your chemist shop or if you are worried about being embarrassed to be seen with these, you can try some of the online portals such as condombazaar.com which guarantee a discreet delivery of these pacakages.